Sammy Hagar Thinks The World Should Change ‘Right Now’

Alright, alright, so we know you’re asking yourself, “So how does Sammy Hagar fit into this whole Sarah Palin fiasco.” Well, wonder no longer. The McCain camp used Van Halen’s Hallmark-worthy anthem “Right Now” to cap off Friday’s surprise announcement in Dayton, Ohio, of Palin’s vice-presidential candidacy. Unfortunately, McCain didn’t vet the song any better than Palin herself. Van Halen’s management quickly issued a statement denouncing the song’s use. "Permission was not sought or granted nor would it have been given, " it said. Even though the same song was used for Bush’s 2004 campaign, the band’s handlers claim, “They’re not political, they’re just rock and roll." What, “Hot for Teacher” wasn’t a prescient critique of decling teacher salaries?

Clearly, the statement was referring to Van Halen’s current line-up, not the Hagar-led incarnation that originally released “Right Now.” Mr. Cabo Wabo, it seems, has no problem with McCain snagging his song. In fact, “Right Now” may be just the thing America needs to bridge the red state/blue state divide. In a statement released later on Friday, Hagar writes, “When I wrote the lyrics to ‘Right Now’ I intended them to inspire people to not sit around and wait for something they believed in but to go out and get it — to make a change however they needed to. Whether it was McCain who used the song or if Obama had chosen to use the song, with the current political climate, the lyrics still have the same meaning, and we all need to do something to make a difference, every action counts.” Hagar has even updated “Right Now” for the 21st century with the similarly self-actualizing “Cosmic Universal Fashion” (What is that? The new Target line?), which he claims to have written with an Iraqi musician.